NFL

FanDuel Single-Game Daily Fantasy Football Helper: Week 7 Monday Night

The AFC East leading New England Patriots are on the road to take on the New York Jets, who saw their franchise quarterback -- Sam Darnold -- return last week and lead them to a win.

For those unfamiliar, single-game slates feature five flex spots with identical scoring to the main slate. However, kickers are included in these contests and there is an "MVP" roster slot. The MVP receives 1.5-times his total fantasy points, making this spot crucial.

Bookmakers currently have the Patriots as -9.5-point road favorites, with an over/under set at 43.5, but we could be seeing some scoring since 71% of the bets have been on the over, according to oddsFire.

MVP Considerations

Tom Brady ($15,500) - Through six games this season, Brady has posted multiple touchdowns in five of them, something which looks likely again tonight. The Jets come in allowing 16.7 FanDuel points per game to quarterbacks this season, which is 14th in the league this season. They haven't shown the consistent ability to stop quarterbacks from piling up points, which Brady did in Week 3, going for over 300 yards and 2 passing touchdowns.

Our projections have Brady going for 18.5 FanDuel points -- the highest of any player tonight -- which makes him a clear choice for the MVP spot. The Patriots come in with an implied team total set at 26.50, putting them in line for nearly four touchdowns and you better believe Brady will have a part in them.

Sam Darnold ($14,500) - Darnold returned from his multi-game absence last week and led the Jets to their first win of the season over the Dallas Cowboys. Darnold will need to limit the mistakes tonight since the matchup versus the Patriots is as difficult as you will find, as they are allowing only 7.8 FanDuel points per game to opposing quarterbacks -- the fewest in the league. But even with the matchup being a tough one, the Jets are 9.5-point home underdogs, which should lead to them passing the ball in order to catch up.

If the Jets are going to keep this game close, Darnold will need to exceed his point projection, making him a solid choice for the MVP spot. If I had to guess, Darnold should be a lower-owned MVP option compared to Brady, Sony Michel, or Le'Veon Bell, which is always something to consider from a tournament perspective.

Le'Veon Bell ($13,000) - Bell makes a somewhat obvious choice for the MVP spot since he will likely see over 20 total touches, something he has done in four of his five games this season. We have Bell projected for the most rushing attempts tonight, along with the fourth-most targets. It also helps that Bell is somewhat game-script proof and will see touches regardless. If the Jets -- miraculously -- get out to a big lead, Bell will see touches in the rushing game. If the Jets are trailing -- which is likely -- he will still see plenty of work in the passing game.

Bell is projected for 17.3 FanDuel points tonight, which is second only to Brady, and the highest on the Jets. Bell might be the only position player in this game who can realistically see 20 or more touches in a win or loss, making him difficult to pass up for the MVP spot.

Value Plays

Jakobi Meyers ($7,500) - As of now, Josh Gordon is ruled out for this game, Julian Edelman is listed as questionable but likely to play, and Phillip Dorsett is also listed as questionable but on track to play. The Patriots' receivers are dealing with a ton of injuries, which is why we saw Meyers play on 70% of the snaps last week, the second-highest on the team. He is a "starting" wide receiver if they are in three-wide sets and should continue to see that level of playing time moving forward.

Last week, he managed four receptions on four targets for 54 yards, a promising stat line for a young receiver who is rising on the depth chart. If Edelman or Dorsett get banged up even further, we should see Meyers grab more offensive snaps, allowing him to reach value on an already modest price tag.

Brandon Bolden ($8,000) - Along somewhat similar lines as Meyers, there is room in the offense for Bolden, making him a solid value play tonight. With Rex Burkhead out, Bolden has played on 14% and 15% of the offensive snaps over the past two weeks. That isn't a massive role by any means, and it shows with his only eight total touches in that span, but he has also managed to post two touchdowns. More importantly, those two touchdowns have come on three red zone rushing attempts, which are the highest equity attempts.

Simply from a tournament mindset, if everyone is going to Michel or James White, Bolden offers the leverage you want, likely at lower ownership.

Ryan Griffin ($5,000) - Griffin comes in as the minimum price tag tonight, bringing immense savings to your single-game lineup. He has played on 84% or higher of the offensive snaps every single game this season and recorded his first touchdown of the season last week. Griffin is tied for the team lead in red zone targets, sitting at three.

Conveniently, those three targets have come in the two games he has played with Sam Darnold -- one target in Week 1 and two targets last week. He is the minimum salary, has good red zone usage, and is playing on a ton of snaps. Griffin checks all the boxes as a great value play tonight.